Our old generator made a ton of noise. The dog was nervous the whole time it was on. I’m not a big fan of noise, either. Plus, I was annoyed at the space the generator took up in the garage. I had to squish between the generator and my car to get into the house.
- Do you want to move the generator from the garage to a generator shed? Read the Generator Shed article here.
- Skip to the generator shed backstory
- Skip to the generator shed and generator Recommended Products Buy List
Our Favorite Emergency Generator
Our favorite emergency generator is the Firman H08051 Dual Fuel 8,000 Watt Electric Start model. It runs on gas, propane, or LPG. It has an electric start button as well as a pull start. It runs as 74 dB, which is much quieter than the generator we bought in 1999. This generator comes with tools, wheels and oil.
Keep reading to learn how to get free shipping, free lift gate service, and a 5% rebate on the Firman H08051 Generator.
Skip the explanation and view the Firman H08051 Generator on Amazon now.
The Firman H08051 Generator Runs on Propane or Gasoline
The Firman generator runs on either gasoline and propane. Switching fuel sources is literally as easy as flipping a switch. There’s a nifty lock designed into the switch so you don’t switch to propane while actively running on gas.
We chose dual fuel in case we ever needed generator power during a gasoline shortage. The option of running on propane doubles our chances of finding fuel to run the generator.
The generator comes standard with a gas tank and a 20 or 30 lb. DOT size propane tank connection.
You can also have your gas company hook your generator to a Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) large tank.
This Generator Has a 12 Hour Running Time
The Firman generator runs 12 hours on 8 gallons of gasoline. That running time is calculated based on your using the generator at an average of 50% for that block of time.
I have looked high and low for how long it runs on a 20 lb. propane tank. I can’t find it. If I do, I’ll update this article.
The H08051 Has an Electric Start Button
I’ve never gotten along with pull starts. Arthritis doesn’t make them any easier to use.
The Firman generator has an electric start button as well as a pull start.
Why both? Because you have to keep the battery powered for the electric start button to work!
Should the battery run down, you can still start the generator using the pull start.
To maintain the battery’s charge, start the generator once a month. Leave it running for 30 minutes.
This Generator Has 8,000 Running, and 10,000 Starting Watts
It’s awesome to be able to run the well pump, dishwasher, refrigerator and microwave at the same time.
This generator runs our entire house., within reason.
“Within reason” means that we’re not turning on every single lamp, appliance, computer and television at once.
We love the extra power over our old generator. We no longer have to shut down and move power to go from powering the well pump to powering the microwave.
Free Lift Gate Service
The Firman generator arrived on a gigantic truck. I mean GIGANTIC.
Some companies selling generators over the internet charge you extra for “lift gate service.” That’s the fee for getting it from the truck to your garage.
We bought our Firman generator from Amazon. As Amazon Prime members, we got free shipping, and free lift gate service.
We also used our Amazon Prime Visa Card to buy the generator. This earned us a 5% rebate off the generator cost.
Skip down to “7 Reasons to Buy the Firman H08051 Generator” below to learn how to get the 5% rebate, free shipping, and free lift gate service.
It’s Quieter
We were used to a loud generator. At 74 dB, the generator is not as quiet as a house fan, but it sends way less noise into the house than our previous generator did.
7 Reasons to Buy the Firman H08051 Generator
- Free shipping and lift gate service. If you have an Amazon Prime membership, the generator shipping will be free, including the lift gate service. Get an Amazon Prime Membership here.
- 0% financing and a 5% rebate. If you use the Amazon Prime Visa card to pay for the generator, you will get a 5% rebate on the generator. Get an Amazon Prime Rewards Visa here. Amazon is offering 18 month financing at 0% (available at the time of publication, hurry, I don’t know how long the offer will last).
- Run on gasoline, propane, or with LPG from your gas company.
- It’s way quieter than older model generators.
- Runs for 12 hours per tank.
- Easy electric start button.
- 8,000 running watts, enough to run my 2 story house.
Get the Firman Dual Fuel 8,000 Watts Electric Start Button Generator Here
Recommended Generator Shed Supplies and Components
The Air Outlet Vent
The box we bought on Craigslist already had cutouts and lourvres installed for venting. The vents are 9 inch wide steel grilles that look like this Truaire Filter Grill.
This is fine, it works well. Each vent has a small hood to keep out the weather.
If I had needed to get the air outlet interface, I would have gotten this 8×34 in. HVAC Premium aluminum weather proof louver.
The built-in screen protects the generator shed interior from mice and bugs.
The louvers are much larger, so they’re better at keeping out the rain and snow.
View the Recommended HVAC Lourvre Vent
Shed Sound Insulation Materials
Sound reduction is a complicated subject. Sound waves are pesky and smart. I researched materials to soundproof the generator box. I was surprised to find so many materials that would not work. Probably the most effective sound dampener would have been a baffle box. I was not ready to take this on.
The best material appears to be Mass Loaded Vinyl. Do not get neoprene or “sound insulation” rubber. MLV comes in 1/2 lb., 1 lb. and 2 lb. weights. As with all sound dampening materials, the more you use, the better your results.
Rock Wool is a good alternative, and Batt Insulation comes in 3rd place.
We chose batt insulation. We cut the pieces and placed them in the shed interior. But when we put the generator in the shed, we realized that the insulation was taking up too much space. So we never installed the insulation in the shed.
Recommended Mass Loaded Vinyl
I like the “soundsulate” 1 lb. MLV. It’s 100% virgin rubber, so there’s no off-gassing smell. It’s made in the USA, and has 22 5-star reviews. One reviewer used it to prevent cooking smells from coming upstairs. It also cut all the sound. Another used two layers to almost completely reduce the drum sounds from next door. Another used it on a fence to cut noise. I was surprised that this worked, since sound will travel over obstructions. Read the reviews here. They’re so good, I’m thinking of using this to sound proof a bedroom to give the dog a safe space when fireworks go off. View the soundsulate 1 lb. Mass Loaded Vinyl on Amazon.
Rock Wool Insulation
If I were using rock wool insulation to sound dampen the generator shed, I’d get these Owens Corning Acoustic Rock Wool Insulation boards. Both the 2 inch and 4 inch thick boards have an NRC of 1.0, so they’re excellent sound reducing boards. View more about NRC ratings here. I love that they stand up on their own, so inserting them into the shed would be easy. View the Owens Corning Acoustic Rock Wool insulation boards on Amazon. BE CAREFUL WITH ROCK WOOL. Use gloves and glasses.
Batt Insulation
We were happy to go with the batt insulation for the cost and availability. We picked up the Owens Corning R13 batt insulation at Home Depot. But I just found a 75 sf. R19 version online, which I would go with instead. The higher the R value, the more sound will get captures in the little fibers. This product is “faced” meaning one side has a paper vapor barrier. You do want that feature. Install the insulation with the paper facing the interior of the sheld. View the Batt Insulation on Amazon. BE CAREFUL WITH BATT INSULATION. Use gloves and glasses.
Recommended Generator Shed Sound Reduction Materials
In order of effectiveness, I believe the best sound proofing agents for a generator shed, in order of effectiveness, are Mass Loaded Vinyl, rock wool insulation, and batt insulation.
Our Generator Replacement and Generator Shed Backstory
When a friend with few resources needed a generator, we decided to give him our old one. We bought a new generator. I got a pre-built generator shed box on Craigslist for $100. The new generator didn’t line up with the input and outlet ports. We modified the box to reach the generator’s controls, and to give it a proper exhaust port.
When the shed was ready, we put the new generator inside. The last task was to add the exhaust pipe from the generator to its outlet hole.
We fired up the generator and were pleasantly surprised at its noise level. Not that it was “quiet,” but it certainly was quieter than the generator purchased in 1999.
The new generator was quiet enough that we might not have needed the shed to quiet it. But the generator serves us well. It does quiet the new generator even more than its baseline decibels. The shed gets the generator our of my way in the garage. The generator is permanently outside. This means we never have to move it into place when we need it. It already is in place. Finally, the generator shed protects the generator from snow, sleet and rain.
I am sharing the details of the shed and the new generator above. I hope it helps you with your generator noise, protection and storage needs.
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